Pioneer Journals 1844 107 



to reach the first Church of the Settlement during Arrival at Red 

 the night, it might, besides preventing, as it 23rdl&quot; i844 ne 

 were, the dead loss of another Sabbath, save us 

 a whole week; for I knew that less than three 

 Sundays would not suffice for my duties among 

 the churches, and I judged that, by diligently 

 improving the time of my sojourn, I might pro 

 perly accomplish them without remaining for a 

 fourth. This I represented to the guide, and the 

 other men, and they cheerfully undertook to 

 carry me on, calculating that we should reach 

 our destination about midnight, or one in the 

 morning. We went ashore for supper on a flat 

 islet in the lake, of sand and shingle, and there 

 witnessed a sunset of unequalled glory; the 

 gorgeous splendour of the descending orb through 

 a blaze of gold among empurpled clouds, con 

 trasted with a remarkable depth and massiveness 

 of gloom which covered the whole face of the 

 adjacent heavens, where a thunder-storm was 

 collecting itself, while a long stream of golden 

 light was playing upon the waves up to the very 

 spot where we stood. We got our tea, and re- 

 embarked without rain; but then the storm be 

 gan, and the lightning was vivid and brilliant. 

 The moon showed herself afterward by fitful 

 glances between the clouds; but before long she 

 sunk, and was lost to us. The rain now came 

 down without interruption, and the night grew 

 exceedingly dark. The whole shore is level, 

 and even in daylight the mouth of the river is 

 not always easily found, so that persons have 



